Arme à Feu
by PadfootRawr
Summary: "No! When I get out of this, I'll cripple you for life!" he roared, and only acknowledged the words were his when they reached his own ears, the sentence never having crossed his mind.
1. We all fall down

**READ ME READ ME READ ME READ ME  
****READ ME READ ME READ ME READ ME  
****READ ME READ ME READ ME READ ME**

Hiya all, I don't post much! But i read a lot of Batman fanfiction haha! Decided to have a wirl at it!  
I've been into comics for a while now, and never really bottled it to have my hand at it...  
Loved Nightwing, and i admit i wasn't really looking forward to him as Batman, and i really didn't like Damian to begin with but by their second issue together they'd convince me.  
The chemistry between them, and the potential is so good!  
ANYWAY  
This is based on **Batman and Robin 13 **which came out last week sometime. So y'know...

**SPOILERS SPOIERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS**

And well, its getting action packed. 'Specially 'cause i liked Pyg as a villian.  
But anywho they're trying all that 'Dick Grayson is going to die will Bruce save him in time?' crap, and well i was thinking of what happens after a scene in the new comic.

I've got the 3 pages on my photobucket here _Take out the spaces and replace (dot) with a **.** naturally_

1 - http : / / s219 (dot) photobucket (dot) com/albums/cc79/Padfoot-rawr/Batman/?action=view¤t;=131. jpg  
2 - http : / / s219 (dot) photobucket (dot) com/albums/cc79/Padfoot-rawr/Batman/?action=view¤t;=132. jpg ** Main one i used :)**  
3 - http : / / s219 (dot) photobucket (dot) com/albums/cc79/Padfoot-rawr/Batman/?action=view¤t;=133. jpg  
Really don't like the art...

And well, i decided to write my look on it! It won't be anything like the comic, and no doubt Bruce'll appear just on time... probs freeze time or something. God knows with Morrison.  
But this was my view... More to come soon!

_Oh and the speech at the beginning is taken directly from the comic itself obviously!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters associated in this:~ Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne, Thomas Wayne, hell even the 'goon' are (C) to DC Comics haha**  
**And i'm making no money off this!**

* * *

He fidgeted valiantly, squirming to at least loosen the ropes binding his ankles and wrists, but they refused to give way. If anything, he almost imagined them tightening, teasing him... mocking him. His cheek scrubbed against the cool stone, encouraging his restlessness, his mask pressing further into the curve of his cheekbone. And although he wouldn't admit it, his utility belt was beginning to dig into his hip rather uncomfortably, but his mind was telling him this was the very least of his worries; that this was something more. After all the villains he had encountered, after all the stunts he had pulled and all the problems he had faced this would be different... This would be something bigger.

He was pulled back to the present as Batman's boots invaded his vision, and he mentally cursed and scolded himself for being so distracted for a moment, and returned his focus to the matter at hand. Shifting himself slightly, he forced his weight to his left, straining his torso to face the company better. As he settled into a half-decent position, he felt a growl work itself into his throat, and his eyes narrowed as he watched the one person he had come to trust so unconditionally was sent to his knees from the blunt force of a rifle being thrust into the back his neck, and before he knew it, words had torn from his throat as he verbally released his anger at the shabby goon.

"No! When I get out of this, I'll cripple you for life!" he roared, and only acknowledged the words were his when they reached his own ears, the sentence never having crossed his mind.

He shifted round further, teeth gritting in frustration at the situation, and disgust as he watched the bearded goon rip back the cowl, freeing the top half of Dick's face, his own expression a mask of loathing as he sent an icy glare at their current foe, and making his bleeding nose a lot more obvious against his skin, rather than the black of the cowl.

Thomas Wayne... rumoured to be a man well known; a man of power and a man of mercy; a man known for the acceptance of others, devoting his life to helping and fixing... no this was not his Grandfather. And more so, this was certainly **_not_** his father's father. Once known from a legacy of betrayal, and incursion, he had been glad to walk away from the _'Al Ghul' _within him, but to stumble across this side of his _'Wayne'_ heritage was somewhat unexpected. And if there was one thing he didn't like; it was the unexpected, at the best of times.

"...Soon I will **_break_** and **_corrupt_** this boy you so valiantly redeemed."

As soon as the words had left the _imposters_ mouth he felt his eyes narrow further as verbal vomit climbed its way up his throat in defence, but before he had the chance to vocalize his protest, the _man_ had continued on with his _'glory speech'_.

"...**Bruce Wayne** failed to stop me, Mr Grayson. You dare imagine yourself superior to a **_Wayne_**?"

Damian breathed in deeply through his nose, a motion unnoticed by all in the room other than him and Dick, though the latter gave no sign of acknowledgement. He himself had not been aware the breath had been held, but the mention of his father's activities surged through his veins, encouraging the realisation that he would be back...**_ soon_**.

He turned his gaze to the imposter once more, disregarding the chill that crept down his spine as he observed the light smile on the others face. It was neither a smile of joy, nor a smile of cruelty... but more a smile of glory. The mere fact that this man had control of the situation neither had predicted would take place, and it almost startled Damian. Never mind the gun the _imposter_ had retrieved from somewhere under the cape replica, and was now observing curiously. He was shook out of his ravine as his enhanced senses caught the tightening of Dicks jaw in his peripheral vision, and he turned regarding the older male.

"You don't get it, do you?" Dick shouted towards the _imposter_ and the events of the past three days spiralled into Damian's head; the battles, the blood and the crisis they currently found themselves in now.

His eyes snapped back to the _imposter_ as the goon moved away and _he_ began taking slow, calculated steps around them. The cape replica rustling ever so slightly in the thick silence, his shoes treading lightly, yet heavily at the same time across the stone floor; time almost slowing down as Damian watched him stride lazily, to settle behind Dick, the same smile upon his lips.

"Brief Bloom." The _imposter_ spoke out loudly, raising his arm slowly to point the gun towards the back of Dick's head, his eyes trained on the unruly black hair, and Damian felt his heart speed up as it fought an impatient and furious battle with his ribcage. He had seen Dick injured in the costume plenty of times, but something didn't feel _right_ as the blood pounded in his ears urgently and he stared at his adoptive elder brother desperately.

_"You're finished."_ Dick uttered in a low tone, scowling darkly at the _imposter_ over his shoulder.

Damian stared at Dick, drinking in the sight of him; the last act of defiance written across his face, settled in his stance, and Damian struggled frantically because damn it, something was **_not_** right. And it was then Damian realised the silence had been stretched far too long, and the _imposter_ had not yet replied, and as he glanced at him, he realised the smile had grew slightly, reminding him strangely of the manic one on the _Clown Prince of Crime_'s face days earlier, yet it did not contain the same unhinged edge... no it was more controlled... more sinister in a way.

And just as he turned back to Dick, time slowed down again as he heard the bang of the gun. He saw the bullet entering his vision and he tried fiercely to release himself of the bonds but could not, and watched dismayed as the bullet made contact, and Dick yelled out, clenching his eyes shut from the pain. He felt himself cry out, his voice scratching his throat as Dicks body jolted from the impact, before slumping forward, face first to the floor, his hands still secured behind his back, and his body hitting the stone with a solid, defining _'thud'_.

And then there was silence... silence that was louder than a crowd cheering at a Gotham Knights game, a silence that uttered finality to Damian, and shook him to the core, reminding him, and he lost the battle for control.

"DICK!" he screamed, his ego taking a backseat because now was not the time.

"DICK! Speak to me... Bat... Batman... You **_need_** to get up..." He begged, squirming in an attempt to loosen his bonds.

"Dick, please...DICK! We need to beat... we need... Gotham needs **_us_**!" He shouted towards the prone figure.

"DICK! BATMAN! GRAYSON ANSWER ME! I **DEMAND** IT!" He yelled viciously as the anger welled inside him, and he tried once more in an attempt to free himself, intending on turning on the _imposter_ and showing him exactly what type of Wayne **_he_** was.

"Dick..." He swallowed thickly, "Dick... **_Please_**... I... I **_can't_** do this on my own." He whispered; defeated as the anger deflated quickly and he lay still; his gaze locked on the figure of the person he had come to know so well. The one person in his life who had provided a sense of security... a sense of welcome, and the one person he had almost believed to be immortal... Unbeatable... and here he was... so still... too still.

_To be Continued_


	2. Silent Suggestions

**Hello again :)  
Here's Chapter 2!  
A little short 'cause i got a little stuck, but better than never!  
Also, if anyones got any suggestions for the next chapter/s? I'm all ears! Seriously haha!  
And probably some spelling mistakes and stuff somewhere, 'cause i'm rushing this to go out but i wanted to get it up haha**

**First things first, thank you 'E', Renegade Noa and PIRATEofHOGWARTS for your lovely reviews :)  
I just stuck this on here as a experiment, but i didn't expect those kind words! Thank you! Cyber Batarangs to you haha :P**

**Also... I do reckon El Penitente aka Fake'o Thomas Wayne is in fact Simon Hurt... Leader of Black Glove and such, but i'm not writing that or comfirming it because hey you never know with Morrison!  
Plus i just imagine Damian would give villians his own little nicknames and i felt 'Imposter' worked well with it...  
Also, i'm guessing that Bruce will flash through time, as i said before, and magically arrive just in time to save Dick from getting shot... Maybe take the bullet 'cause he's rumoured not to go back to Bat straight away, but i'm changing this as to what could have happened... maybe a AU? Aha i don't know what you'd call it!**

**But anywho, there's a memory in here, which is from 'Batman and Robin #3' and i put it up to my photobucket for you lot;**

http : / / i219 (dot) photobucket (dot) _ com /_albums/cc79/Padfoot-rawr/Batman/?action=view¤t;=BR7 (dot) jpg _Again removing the spaces and replacing (dot) with . haha_

**OH! And i know nothing of Morse Code! I got a image reference, so don't sue me if its wrong haha... I'll check later 'cause my dad'll be home from work and he knows Morse Code.**  
**I need a Alfred, man... That secret agent would know...**

**Oh, and i also have the 6 pages before that one to help it make sense, but they're not necessary! ...Just incase you fancy having a look :) Enjoyyy****  
**

http : / / i219 (dot) photobucket (dot) _com /_albums/cc79/Padfoot-rawr/Batman/?action=view¤t;=BR1 (dot) jpg  
http : / / i219 (dot) photobucket (dot)_ com /_albums/cc79/Padfoot-rawr/Batman/?action=view¤t;=BR2 (dot) jpg  
http : / / i219 (dot) photobucket (dot) _com /_albums/cc79/Padfoot-rawr/Batman/?action=view¤t;=BR3 (dot) jpg  
http : / / i219 (dot) photobucket (dot) _com /_albums/cc79/Padfoot-rawr/Batman/?action=view¤t;=BR4 (dot) jpg  
http : / / i219 (dot) photobucket (dot) _com /_albums/cc79/Padfoot-rawr/Batman/?action=view¤t;=BR5 (dot) jpg  
http : / / i219 (dot) photobucket (dot) _com /_albums/cc79/Padfoot-rawr/Batman/?action=view¤t;=BR6 (dot) jpg  
http : / / i219 (dot) photobucket (dot) _com /_albums/cc79/Padfoot-rawr/Batman/?action=view¤t;=BR7 (dot) jpg

**Disclaimer: Don't own Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson, Thomas Wayne, The 'goon' again, nor any of the bat universe items! They're (C) to DC Comics!

* * *

**

_"Dick..." He swallowed thickly, "Dick... **Please**... I... I **can't** do this on my own." He whispered; defeated as the anger deflated quickly and he lay still; his gaze locked on the figure of the person he had come to know so well. The one person in his life who had provided a sense of security... a sense of welcome, and the one person he had almost believed to be immortal... Unbeatable... and here he was... so still... too still._

A chuckle bought him back to the present and his head whirled round to face the _imposter_, still standing in the same spot, the gun still brandished, though aimed at thin air now, and he felt a incredible pain in his abdomen, the fire of revenge, and the heat of outrage pooled in his gut, creeping towards his chest.

"It was something of a _**terrible**_ loss." The _imposter_ said evenly, as he discarded the gun, and approached once more, coming to stand near Dick's shoulder.

Damian's gaze travelled further to ignore the nagging ache the sentence had provoked, and began nearing Dick's face, but left it as soon as it had approached _-decidedly ignoring the crimson that was now gathered at the base of his neck-_ and instead he rested it on the _imposter _as he nodded to the previously departed goon who stepped forward.

The goon neared Dick, kneeling beside him and grabbed the edge of the bat suits cape with one hand, his other grasping the metal of the utility belt, using both as leverage.

"_**DON'T **_YOU TOUCH HIM!" Damian spat, furiously trying to lunge himself at the goon, and swallowing the bile as the goon began to roll Dick's unresponsive body onto his back.

"Oh I needn't worry _**boy**_. Mr Grayson is _**merely**_ suffering a severe lack of blood and in a high level of shock, as well as a somewhat _lethal _blow to the base of his skull. He will return to us _**momentarily**_." The _imposter_ announced evenly as the goon passed him and disappeared once more, and Damian's heart leapt through his chest as he watched Dick shift slightly, a low gurgle emitting from his throat as blood oozed down his chin.

"Welcome back Mr Grayson." The _imposter_ greeted somewhat merrily, but Dick paid him no attention, blinking heavily and swallowing sluggishly, he tried to create but one word.

"D..." He paused, making a noise that could have been a cough. "D... Dam... Damian..." he croaked out, his eyes forcing themselves open as he searched for the child. And Damian himself froze as he made eye contact with the elder. Blue on blue, and he could feel the tingling indicating the tears that were building deep inside, a feeling so strange... so foreign to him.

"D... Listen... Yo... You need to... To... Li... Listen... Okay." Dick wheezed as he fought for air and fiercely tried to string sentences around the blood, and Damian gulped.

"On the contrary Mr Grayson, I don't think the boy needs to listen to _**anything**_. Least of all a _**death speech**_." The _imposter_ sliced the atmosphere with a sharply carved knife, and Damian barely held his tongue, instead sending the deadliest glare he could muster. Dick chose conveniently not to reply... Or rather Damian decided that was what it was because it was much better than the thought of him _not _being able to reply.

A movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and his gaze shifted over, and found it resting upon Dick's hand. It was currently pressed into the underside of his abdomen where he had been rolled onto his bonded wrists, all his fingers curled inwards and restricted from the rope, except for his index finger which was slightly outstretched, almost reaching around his hip, almost as if he was pointing, and Damian had to glance in the direction just to verify there was nothing to be seen.

Shifting his vision back to the lone finger, he watched as Dick lightly tapped his finger against his side. Subtly and lightly so as the _imposter_ wouldn't notice, and Damian watched, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as he took in the movement, slowly making a pattern between the delays and separating the quick deliberate motion from the other drawn out, longer taps. And before he knew it his mind was pressing... pushing forward letters as his training came into play; his intellect recognising the gestures as a form of communication; and before he knew it he had worked out the statement being passed to him through Morse Code.

_DashDashDot..._G... _DotDotDotDot..._H... _DashDashDash..._O... _DotDotDot..._S... _Dash..._T...

His mind put the letters together and he frowned; _Ghost_? What on _**earth**_ did Grayson mean by that? That the _imposter_ was some form of deceased phantasm from the Wayne Family's past? If so why had he not been informed of this fact three days earlier? Or maybe the identity of a villain in Gotham? Perhaps another vigilante? Or something bigger?

Glancing up at the blessed silence in suspicion he looked over to notice the imposter had moved away to discuss "business" or something of the sort with his goons. Welcoming the moment of distraction he peered towards Dick as he repeated the same pattern for the fourth time and he grunted in response, shifting slightly to make it look as though it was merely the irritation of his bonds, rather than his acknowledgement of the code, his eyebrows still knitted as he desperately tried to understand the word before his gaze was drawn back to Dick's hand as he noticed a new code was being tapped to him.

_Dash..._ T... _Dot..._ E... _DotDash..._ A... _DashDash..._ M...

_Team_? This was almost becoming an aimless game of Hangman; the noose looping dangerously around Dick's neck. He quenched the tightening of his stomach at the word, observing and pairing it with their current dilemma, and moved on to try and understand the message, preferring it over evaluating the word 'Team' and the importance it held between them.

Team... another word for Crew, Squadron, Troupe, _Partner_. Ghost... Partner... And suddenly as he paired both of the words together, his chest joined his gut in the painful constriction, and his throat ran dry as the memory surged forward. The first time they had faced Pyg together... The moment he had looked past the bitterness, past the blind jealousy and began surveying the eldest protégé by who he was _inside_ the suit, rather than a fool playing dress up in _**his**_ father's clothes.

_/-"...So where's Pyg's __**Lair**__? 'The Pig Pen."  
"It's __**there**__. Where the Ghost Train is burning. What are you __**doing**__ here, anyway?"  
"__**Partners**__, remember? Batman and Robin. __Burning Great.__"  
"...There was a __**girl**__... Did—__Did you just save my life?"-/_

The memory rang clearly through his mind as he and Dick stood side by side in the Circus Carnival, finally sharing one moment that lacked both sarcasm and a resentful tone as Dick passed him his previously discarded badge, and he took it, fully prepared to enlist himself as the mantle of Robin once more, and he fought the urge to turn his head and subconsciously glimpse at said badge that was currently pressed into the floor.

"Dare I say it is a _**great**_ shame, but in the words of a showman _'The show must go on.' _Isn't that right Mr Grayson?" The _imposter_ smiled cruelly as he stepped back towards them, and Damian felt a wave of rage pass through him spurred by the memory he had mulled in mere moments before and he turned his gaze away from Dick and glared darkly at the imposter.

"Release me from these bonds and **you** will see a real show," Damian snarled dangerously, his scowl deepening.

"I don't take kindly to threats **boy**," the _imposter _replied coldly, his smile dimming slightly as he regarded the ten year old.

"It was a promise," Damian spat, keeping eye contact with the _imposter,_ almost challenging him. _Bring it on _he spoke silently to himself, his gaze ripping from the man as he saw another change in the corner of his eye, and he felt his emotions blanch as he saw the ghost of a smile on Dick's lips. And then he refrained from giving a verbal retort to that _Grayson grin_ as he realised he had been fooled... hook, line and sinker; something only Dick could have managed to do.

The Morse Code, the words, the memory... He knew it would give him a reason to fight... spur him on and bring back the attitude Grayson had continually cursed upon. Dick had bought the fighter in him forward; the spine of an assassin and the spirit of the bat... always ready for a battle. And what a battle this would be.


	3. Author's Note

Hello everyone!  
First things first, i apologise that this may be misleading! 'cause it isn't a chapter... But more of a Authors Note.  
But i just wanted to say big thank you's for the reviews! And for the kind words people have spared towards this story... I hope to continue it!  
First things first i know there's no excuse, but lately things have been quite mad in life!

I went to Cyprus with my best bud a few weeks back which was the start of the delay, then lately it's been hectic with University!  
I just completed my A-Levels, and then i didn't even think i was going to Uni, but then got in surprisingly, and it's been absolutely mad trying to get things completed, sort my loans out and go to the Uni for interviews and such.

Finally i've reached a slight writers block lately, so if anyone has ANY ideas for this then don't hesitate to inbox or email me! I love to hear suggestions and the like!

I **won't**give up on this... Hopefully when the 6th of October rolls round and all the new Batman comics come out i'll be writing again, but i hope to do more soon...

Thank you all for your patience!  
And again for the lovely words!

Padfoot x


End file.
